Donatas Ludditis reporting but you can call me Don. Today I hop train to Chicago Ogilvie station and take elevator to meeting way up in tall skyscraper. Is raining hard outside but I no care. I no go out in rain. I just get off train and take elevator to meeting. It is in same building!

And they treat me like king here! You should eat such food! Maybe they think Einstein come back from the grave—I dunno. People say I look just like him. As a young man I yusta hate people calling me that and I break some noses. Some legs too, maybe. Now I smile. Carry his picture in wallet. Tell them he is my big brother.

But I get down to business. I am here at MIT Enterprise Forum. It is their Wireless Innovation event. That mean smartphone gizmos.

I like these smartphones. No computer—I too old for that now. No desk—I hate desk. No lug briefcase—use cloud instead. Hey, is progress. A man cannot fight such things. So what you want I should do? I carry a cute little iPhone and big Samsung Galaxy in pockets and trousers not fall down! Life is good!

Photo courtesy Heartland Mobile Council

Listen, I tell you good stuff only. I say these things once:

Is it Me or Albert?

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Three Speakers

First one show us that mobile Internet just tipped world upside down while nobody is looking.

Second one teach us easy way to figure it all out.

Third one work amazing electro-gizmo. Is like magic show. I like magic!

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Ken Jones—Verge

Ken, he tell about big change that already happen in marketing world. Smartphone owners now at 50 percent. It is—what you call—tipping point. Everything turns upside-down because of this.

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Companies yusta get message to people in this order:

First in Print.

Then Radio, TV.

Then Internet.

Then Mobile Internet

All changed now. Now is mobile first. Everybody always know this will happen. Well, now it happens.

Important thing, he say, is nail down ROI of your idea. So I check his website. Whoa—look at that software! Such beautiful pictures and numbers! But you must see this for yourself so click link at bottom.

Then we have Q&A. Terrible racket come from back of crowd and I recognize the harsh voice of Rong Mayhem howling at our speaker. Somebody up front asked a question and Rong is griping that he cannot hear. Then he shouts same thing again when next question is asked. Then a third time. Is enough! “Nutilk!” I say—shut up! But he keep hollering.Pretty soon I holler too: “Prikąsk liežuvį! Užsičiaupk!” Don’t he understand what I say?—shut up, SHUT UP! But he keeps it going. In old country we know how to handle people like this. No, I take that back—I cannot remember any person like this in old country.

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Steve Zielke—Horizon Matrix

Steve says that technology take us back to basics because of mobile. No more marketspeak mumbo jumbo. Most important thing is get customers—plain and simple. Customer acquisition, he call this. You must first ask, “Who will pay for what you got?” This I like. This is what keeps business going and growing. The company that cracks this question is the company I invest money in.

He gives this great case study: Company XXX, they come up with terrific software. It fights child pornography. Is $30 billion industry, this filth. But if perverts don’t watch it, industry just dries up. So how do you keep these depraved people from watching porn?

Turns out deviates view this junk mostly at work. At home, wife and kiddies might see. So companies gotta stop it ON THE JOB.

And yes! The businesses agree! Child porn is horrible stuff! But law don’t punish employers. It’s not their problem. Why should they spend any money?

In the end, you got great product nobody will buy.

After the meeting I hear deep thinkers talk. They argue over what Steve said. But lesson is simple. You gotta find customer first and do it before you invest big money.

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Martin O’Shield—Windy City SDR

Martin, he show us new revolution. But audience not understand it, so I translate in good English: SDR stand for Software Defined Radio.

Say you got an AT&T phone and can’t get your call thru ‘cause there is no tower near you. But the guy sitting next to you babbles away it seems like forever on his phone. He’s got Verizon or something—no problem for him. Makes you want to clobber him! Am I right?

Martin’s Device

I watch him set up his technostuff and show us. A member of audience makes call on AT&T phone. Martin catches it and sends it to other phone in room—Verizon phone. It rings. We see whole hookup happen on screen! Imagine you put it in every cell tower. Customer experience makes great leap! Cost drops to basement!

He says defense department try to develop this and cannot do it. Then private industry makes one, but it turns out way too expensive. Martin, his cost is only 1,000 bucks—hand-made! I bet he can make it for $200 mass produce.

How so cheap? Can you believe that inside your worn-out laptop computer is Intel chip or AMD chip—either one—and both got the guts to do this job? He uses teeny-weeny circuit board, 100 dollar laptop, and USB thingamajig. That is it!

SDR Device courtesy Forbes

So I pull Galaxy out of pocket and look this up. I find Forbes article that shows SDR is already used by hackers. That makes me wonder if I understand what I just hear. I can see this technology is real. But is scary. Hacker can hurt you and you cannot shoot them. I give you link to article.

You think I make this stuff up? I see it happen! Come to my place and we talk summore. Ludditis Shots ‘n Beer. We got potato pancakes better than Lithuania. I not even charge for sixth beer. Sveikes!

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